You are here

My brother recently acquired a massive amount of debt

SisterNeko's picture

Because of his daughter who is months away from turning 18. It's more than he can handle and he claims the mother has just as much from their other child. The daughter had a run in with the law, drug issues, had to have rehab, court cost ect.

Since she help create this debt can he transfer some of it to her when she turn 18? I know it's a shady thing to go but since getting out she is starting to go back to her old ways so the lesson was not learned.

Thoughts? Advice for my brother?

Comments

ESMOD's picture

"Honestly? File this away under mind your own business. Your brother is an adult and he choose to acquire the debt."

Yesssss!

Of course he cannot legally make her responsible for this debt.

Now, he can ASK her to repay him and if she wants to, she can but that's about it.

zerostepdrama's picture

Agree.I got busted for underage drinking when I was 16 and had to pay my own fines and had to do counseling and had to pay my counseling fees. Honestly it never even occurred to me that my mom would pay them.

Tuff Noogies's picture

sorry sister, but he didnt "acquire" debt, he decided fully and chose to take on those debts. some, i'm sure for good reason as a father, but it was still up to him and is not his daughter's responsibility to pay off. other parts (cash bonds, fine payments, etc) it wouldnt hurt for him to ask her to make payments, but based on her current trajectory i would be doubtful that would happen.

i've got no advice other than he needs to meet with a financial advisor to help come up with the smartest way to slowly start paying it off. my parents chose to go into debt with our family, and by the time i was 25 or so they finally had it paid off. and he needs to not bail her out again, either literally or figuratively. she's old enough to start feeling natural consequences.

Thumper's picture

I doubt he can make her pay for something HE gave to her, unless they had a promissory note in writing and dad signed and daughter signed.

My bio's know if they break the law ANY law and get in trouble, they know not to ask us for help of any kind. We will not bail them out, we will not visit them in jail, we will not pay for a lawyer we will not pay fines and any fees'. Don't call collect either.

I know a family who bails out their "innocent" adult kids all the time. and guess what, it runs in the family, Grandparents bail out adult bio's, Their siblings bail out cousins, nephews, Aunts, Uncles and so on...
Such a Gold Star Family.

And we are the evil family.....